Texas Driver of Truck of Dead Migrants Pleads Guilty

 Posted on January 30, 2025 in Federal Crimes

A Texas man charged with multiple fatal crimes related to moving migrants across Texas has pleaded guilty. Homero Zamorano, Jr. was allegedly driving a truck hiding 67 people in its trailer, 53 of whom died as a result of the tractor-trailor’s air conditioning system not working on a 100-degree day in June of 2022. Zamorano faces life in prison at his April 24th sentencing for charges of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death, placing lives in jeopardy, and causing serious bodily injury, as well as other crimes involving the transportation of aliens.

Texas and the federal government take human trafficking very seriously and we can expect these cases to be prosecuted even more aggressively under the Trump administration. If you are charged with any crimes related to human trafficking, including conspiracy, contact a Texas federal criminal defense attorney immediately.

Federal Human Trafficking Laws

Federal law defines human trafficking through statutes like the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. It prohibits the recruitment, transportation, harboring, or receipt of persons for forced labor, sexual exploitation, or other coercive purposes. Further, federal law punishes anyone who transports, moves, harbors, hides, brings into the U.S., or tries to bring into the U.S. a known illegal immigrant.

In the context of migrant movement, federal law focuses on whether the individuals being transported are exploited, threatened, or coerced in any way. Key federal trafficking crimes include:

• Forced Labor: Using threats or coercion to force migrants to work.

• Sex Trafficking: Exploiting migrants for commercial sex through force, fraud, or coercion.

• Transportation with Intent: Transporting individuals across state lines with the intent of exploiting them.

Migrants who are smuggled into the United States and later forced into exploitative situations may be victims of trafficking under federal law. Traffickers and others who help migrants move around Texas and across state lines face severe penalties, including decades-long prison sentences, asset forfeiture, and heavy fines.

Texas Human Trafficking Laws

Texas is a major entry point for migrants and enforces some of the nation’s strictest anti-trafficking laws. Under Texas law, human trafficking includes the transportation, recruitment, or harboring of people with the intent to exploit them. Migrants who are moved across Texas for forced labor, domestic servitude, or sex work fall under this statute.

Texas also criminalizes smuggling, which prohibits the transporting of individuals for unlawful purposes, even without coercion. If smuggling involves exploitation or endangers the lives of migrants (e.g., overcrowding in dangerous conditions, as in the example above), it can escalate to human trafficking charges.

Contact a Collin County, TX Criminal Defense Lawyer

Human trafficking convictions in Texas can result in life imprisonment, particularly if minors are involved. Federal penalties are equally severe, often including decades in prison. Traffickers may also face charges for additional crimes, such as fraud, document falsification, or harboring undocumented individuals.
If you have been arrested for any of these crimes – even if you are only a person of interest in an investigation – you face penalties that could change your life forever. Contact The Crowder Law Firm, P.C. at 214-544-0061 today to schedule a free consultation with our aggressive Plano, TX human trafficking defense attorney who will fight hard for your rights.